


A Little Like Love

by GoldenTruth813



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 12:45:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13681950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenTruth813/pseuds/GoldenTruth813
Summary: Scorpius is finally ready to let Albus knows how he feels, but he asks all the wrong people for advice on how to do that.





	A Little Like Love

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [A Little Like Love - Traducción](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14382648) by [dari2210](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dari2210/pseuds/dari2210)



> Thank you aibidil for the quick beta!!! <3

“How do you show someone you love them?” Scorpius asked his father exactly one week before Valentine’s Day. He’d spent the last few weeks furiously searching for something romantic but still meaningful to show Albus how he felt. 

Unfortunately Scorpius was discovering that mainstream society's ideas of romance — both Muggle and Wizard alike — leaned heavily towards unrealistic heteronormative narratives that felt a bit phoney to Scorpius. 

His father had lowered his copy of the _ Prophet _ and peered over his newspaper at Scorpius as though regarding him for the first time.

“You’re in love with Albus?” he asked, in that horribly not subtle way he had of pretending it wasn’t a big deal but somehow managing to look like the world might implode. Parents were so weird.

“It’s just a question.”

“You’re only eighteen and—”

“How did you know you loved Mr. Potter?” Scorpius blurted out, knowing the only way to change his father’s thought process was to bring up Albus’s dad. It was sort of adorable and annoying how obsessed his dad had become with Mr. Potter in the last year.

His father blushed, the tips of his ears and nose going bright red before mumbling, “I’m not sure you’re old enough to hear that story, son.”

Scorpius had tried to ask him where he’d taken Mr. Potter on their first date, but his dad had somehow just blushed even more and gone off on a bit of a tangent about the time Mr. Potter had won the Ministry Quidditch League cup last year, and the exact shade of red his Seeker Robes had been. Scorpius wasn’t entirely sure what that had to do with anything and by the time his father had moved on to talking about the way Mr. Potter held his broom he zoned out completely, staring into his empty teacup and wondering if all adults were so boring.

  
  


***~*~*~***

  
  


“How do you show someone you love them?” Scorpius asked Teddy the next day over lunch.

Teddy had spent an extra long time chewing his bite of steak and kidney pie before fixing Scorpius with a serious look. “You’re finally going to tell Albus how you feel?”

“I was hoping perhaps I could show him instead. I’m not entirely sure the words would come out just right if I tried.”

Teddy had smiled at him, that crinkly-eyed smile he usually saved just for James and patted Scorpius’s hand across the table. It made Scorpius feel oddly warm and fuzzy inside, as if he and Teddy were close the way Albus and James were close. He liked it.

“I’m pretty sure Albus would be pretty pleased with anything you had to say, Scorp. Trust me,” he’d said, raising his eyebrows as if he knew something Scorpius didn’t.

“Yeah but—”

“No buts, Scorpius. Trust me. Albus is arse over tits in love with you and has been since — well, I better not say or James will make me sleep on the sofa for a week for telling you because Albus made him promise he wouldn’t tell me. But you know James can’t keep secrets.”

It was on the tip of Scorpius’s tongue to point out that Teddy had no place to talk since he was almost as big of a blabbermouth as James was, but he bit back the retort. He’d been pretty sure Albus felt the same as he did, there were too many lingering touches and glances to mean anything else. But Scorpius didn’t know how to explain that knowing he was in love with Albus and knowing Albus felt the same, somehow didn’t make the idea of telling his best friend — the one person who meant more to him than literally anyone else in the world — any less terrifying.

“It’s not as easy as all that,” Scorpius had eventually protested.

Teddy had just smiled kindly. “Course it is.”

Scorpius couldn’t help but think that Teddy might’ve been the wrong person to ask, since he’d never had to make a move. James had let Teddy know how he felt at every available opportunity. It wasn’t the same as the thing between him and Albus. Teddy acted like it was as easy as opening your mouth and speaking the words, but Scorpius didn’t know how to explain how overwhelming it felt to face the possibility of finally having exactly what he’d wanted for so long.

  
  


***~*~*~***

  
  


“How do you show someone you love them?” Scorpius asked James, cornering him in the locker room after his win against the Appleby Arrows two days later.

“Scopius! My man! You’re finally going to take the plunge! This is fantastic. I should throw a party at Mum and Dad’s to celebrate.”

Scorpius’s stomach dropped and his face flushed. “No.”

“At mine and Teddy’s flat then. You’re right, Mum and Dad would kill the mood”

“No, James. I need to tell him first.” Scorpius sighed, wondering how he’d thought this would be a good idea.

“You don’t really need to, Scorp. He already knows.” James had said it so matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather. Scorpius wondered if everyone else had known he and Albus were in love before they’d known. It was a little unsettling, and he wondered how much time everyone had spent talking about them. It made his stomach squirm uncomfortably. He’d wanted to do something for Albus, something special, something private.

“I just thought, well, you and Albus are close and I thought you might have some ideas,” Scorpius had mumbled helplessly, wringing his hands.

James’s tired, friendly smile transformed immediately into the same look he usually right got before doing something Teddy had told him he shouldn’t do. It was nearly an hour before Scorpius was able to escape the locker room, his heart beating a million miles a minute and with far more intimate details of James and Teddy’s sex life, or any bloke’s sex life really, than Scorpius was sure he ever needed to know.

He was sure James had meant well, but Scorpius was absolutely positive Albus did not want a pair of enchanted boxers covered in little wands that shot off sparks when the wearer was aroused, nor did he think Albus would appreciate edible underwear — regardless of the fact that it  _ “heightened the sensation against your cock, I promise, Scorpius” _ . And he was absolutely and utterly certain Albus would not think a stuffed Erupment that sang “You make my horn explode” was an appropriate way to tell your best friend you thought they were your soulmate.

  
  


***~*~*~***

  
  


“How do you show someone you love them?” Scorpius asked Mr. Potter the day before Valentine’s Day. He wondered if going to your best-friend-wannabe-lover’s father asking for romantic advice was a worrying sign of desperation

“Oh, that’s, um—” Mr. Potter had looked flustered, picking up his empty tea cup and putting it back down five times before opening his mouth to speak again. “Scorpius, I’m very flattered, but I think you must have got the wrong idea.”

“Huh?” Scorpius had blurted out, not entirely sure why Mr. Potter’s face was turning the exact shade of an improperly brewed love potion.

“I care about your father very much. And yes, I mean, I do find the Malfoy features attractive — very attractive, your father’s hair especially.” Harry had coughed, looking lost in thought for a moment, and Scorpius finally realised what was happening and wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment.

“Mr. Potter —” Scorpius had tried, but Albus’s dad had just looked at him in this strange way, as if full of pity and confusion.

“I think it’s easy to confuse feelings for people whom we admire, people we look up to. I don’t fault you but I think you’ll find—”

“I’m in love with Albus!” Scorpius had screamed, jumping up from the table.

Mr. Potter had turned an alarming shade of red and dropped his face into his hands as he muttered, “Oh, thank fuck.” At which point, Scorpius had been too embarrassed to say another word and Disapparated with an audible  _ pop _ before anything else horrible could happen.

  
  


***~*~*~***

 

“How do you show someone you love them?” Albus asked Scorpius, showing up in his Floo on Valentine’s Day with a bouquet of white and green tipped roses and a box of Scorpius’s favourite chocolate from Honeyduke’s.

“I, um—” Scorpius babbled, not entirely sure what was happening.

Albus just grinned. He looked so handsome in his jeans and dark green shirt, his hair looked freshly washed and the front was swooping up perfectly over his eyes in a way that was making it hard for Scorpius to think about anything except sliding his fingers into Albus’s hair and kissing him.

“I think you show them by being their friend...by being the person they can count on and rely on. I think you show them by being there for every single big thing in their life and all the small ones too.” Albus swallowed, looking suddenly nervous. “I think you show them by going to all the people they love, and asking for help because you care more about the other person than about your own embarrassment. I think,” here Albus squared his shoulders, setting down the flowers and chocolate and walking towards Albus until they were so close Scorpius could smell the soap Albus showered with and feel the warmth of his breath across his cheek. “I think—”

But Scorpius cut him off, finally giving in to temptation and sliding his fingers into Albus’s thick hair, unable to hold back his whimper because it was so thick and soft and he wanted to keep touching it until he died, except he also wanted to touch Albus everywhere else and he wasn’t not sure how to manage that and it wasn’t until Albus began to laugh that Scorpius realised he’d said those things out loud, but before he could die of embarrassment for the second time in two days, Albus leaned forward, pressed their lips together, and whispered, “I love you.”

And Scorpius sighed, the “I love you, too” falling from his lips as easily as Teddy said it would.

They kissed again, less hesitant and more purposeful this time, Albus’s hands sliding down Scorpius’s back and pulling him closer, and Scorpius needn’t have worried about how to show Albus he loved him — he’d been doing it all along.


End file.
